Squashed a Bug
by Sorida
Summary: Bumblebee deliberately gets himself captured and imprisoned on the Nemisis. He has one task in mind: find Optimus Prime and get him out. But how can he do that with Megatron two steps ahead of him?
1. Chapter 1

_Summary: Determined to find his leader, Bumblebee follows the pull of Dark Energon to the Decepticon warship: The Nemesis. However, there's only one entrance and no exit. Can he convince amnesiac Optimus Prime to save him from the 'Cons, or is this his last mission?_

_A/N: Originally, Season 2 was supposed to air on November 28th. Now, it's supposed to air "early 2012." Ok, what the frag? Anyway, due to the prolonged air date, I have decided to continue the oneshot "More Like Family" as an AU for the start of Season 2. I'm warning you, I'll be stopping before Optimus regains his memory, since:_

_1. I have absolutely no clue what the Prime team has planned and I'm not about to soil all their hard work in a "what if" attempt that may or may not make sense._

_2. I'm not creative enough to think up a good place to hide Vector Sigma/how to use it to get Optimus' memory back._

_3. I only want to do enough to display Bee's thoughts of his leader to touch upon what Father/Son relationship they have that the show hasn't shown already._

_Also, this will be fairly short (as in 6 or 7 chapters at the most). Oh, and I hope this isn't too similar to Challenger2011's story "Remembrance." I have been developing this story since October and have finally come up with a plotline I'm happy with. This story has gone through multiple changes since its conception in early October and has drastically changed plot points to accommodate the season finale. I created this before I ever read Remembrance. From me to Challenger2011: I'm sorry if I have (even if inadvertently) plagiarized anything and please tell me if I do so._

* * *

><p>How did he always find himself in these positions, hanging for his life at the mercy (or lack there) of the Decepticon leader? And as usual, why was Optimus the first one on the scene?<p>

Well, he knew driving straight off the plateau hadn't been the brightest idea he'd thought of in stellar cycles, but that was just the way he worked. Of course, he hadn't taken much damage on that fall. He'd transformed mid-fall, rolled onto his shoulder, transformed and used the momentum from his fall to propel him forward, allowing him to gun his engine as soon as his tires hit the road.

Perhaps just following the slight pull of Dark Energon hadn't been the best well-thought out plan he'd ever concocted, but it would do. It would take a bit of time and concentration, but the light pull soon became a consistent tug as he approached his destination. After driving for hours on end, he stopped. He'd driven off-road for a while and his axels hurt like the Pit. Now he understood why the phrase "all-terrain" didn't apply to his alt.-mode. But the reason why he stopped wasn't to take a break.

The yellow muscle car found himself in a ravine, sedimentary rocks encompassing his form. The natural rift wasn't as deep as he originally thought; yet steep enough to provide a significant advantage for an ambush from above. Yet, the scout found his disadvantage perfect for his plan. It would make his story a bit more convincing.

Transforming, Bumblebee stretched his servos, fluttering his door-wings to relieve them of that terrible cramping feeling. Lifting his helm to the sky, he found what he was looking for.

Among the star-lit desert sky was a large, black silhouette. Nothing organic could ever hope to achieve a feat this monumental and disruptive to the Earth's environment. It struck fear into the sparks of Autobots, young and old alike. It was known as a terror, a nightmare, a Pit-spawned demon that could only be controlled by one of equal darkness and hatred.

The moon illuminated the heavily armed sides of the battleship, spikes protruding from each end of the behemoth. Inside were Bumblebee's worst fears and his only hope.

As the scout stared at the Nemesis, determination flooded through his spark. A plan formed within his processor: a risky, rash, and completely idiotic one, but it was a plan. He wavered on his pedes slightly, the Dark Energon finally taking its toll on his systems.

Unsheathing his blasters, he quickly sent a text comm. to Arcee containing his coordinates, before shielding his spark signature. He'd reveal himself once onboard the Decepticon warship, but now, he didn't need a service drone finding him before his plan could be put into action.

Taking careful aim, Bumblebee fired at the Nemesis. Although the plasma shots would do nothing to the ship, he just needed to be noticed. If his suspicions were correct, there would be sentries on guard above the ravine in case of a ground attack staged by the Autobots. Now that Megatron had Prime aboard, he would probably be expecting something any day now. The tyrant would be getting a wake-up call as Bee continued his distraction. His attack was earlier than scheduled.

Minutes later, Vehicons' visors were in view above him. Within seconds, Bumblebee found himself fruitlessly dodging the onslaught of lasers. Taking cover under an outcrop, the scout fired at his attackers. He had to make it look convincing, as if he really was so thick-headed to think that he could get Optimus back by himself.

Soon enough, the Vehicons overwhelmed him. Coming out from the outcrop, he tried his best to take cover behind large rocks within the ravine, but Vehicons from above fired at his back. He fell to the ground when the shots became too much. His door wings were leaking energon down his back-plating. He could only watch as Vehicons stomped his helm into the ground, nearly cracking an optic on a rock beneath him. Two Vehicons held him down as he thrashed in their hold. Five more surrounded him as one leveled a laser to the spot between his optics. The gesture sent Bumblebee into a full-blown panic. This was not part of his plan!

He off-lined his optics, preparing for the pain. Instead, his audio receptors picked up the sound of a moving servo. On-lining one optic, the scout saw the Vehicon, one servo to its helm while the laser as pointed skyward. Quickly glancing at its comrades, the Vehicon produced some stasis cuffs from a subspace pocket. Bumblebee's vision was soon filled with the Vehicon's chassis as it leaned over to cuff the youngling's servos together. A soft "click" filled the air and Bumblebee was pulled harshly to his pedes. He felt a laser nudge the connecting joint for his door wings. He was painfully dragged forward, forced to keep pace with the rest of the Vehicons. Seconds later, the light green hue of a Ground Bridge blinded his optics. Bumblebee's spark sank, accepting the knowledge that this wasn't his Ground Bridge. Yet, a mix of determination and fear pushed him onwards. He had a task to complete before he could allow himself to just lay down and die. Of course, he didn't really want to die just yet. Still, it was an occupational hazard and Bumblebee would prepare himself for when the time came.

The Vehicons dragged him through as Bee struggled in their hold. Soon enough, he was inside the Nemesis' bridge. To his right was Soundwave. To his left was Airachnid. His optics widened as he looked forward. In front of him were Megatron and Optimus Prime. Both mechs stood side-by-side, one intimidating and ruthless while the other appeared confused and slightly doubtful.

_"Optimus!"_ Bumblebee beeped, straining against the hold of the Vehicons. If he could, the scout would have smirked as the Vehicons tried to get a good grip on his servos again, the sudden jerk taking them by surprise.

Megatron let out a hearty laugh (Bumblebee shivered slightly) as Optimus watched the scene with indifference. There was emptiness in those optics, giving the Prime an incomplete appearance. A part of him was erased, gone, and that sent insecurity straight to Bumblebee's spark.

The Decepticon insignia didn't ease the scout's emotional agony at all.

"Well, looks like I've caught a bee." Megatron said, walking closer to the youngling, "Tell me scout, how are your little friends doing without your precious leader?"

_"We're just fine, thank you very much!"_ Bee snapped, struggling once again. Turning his gaze to Optimus, he said, _"I know you don't remember me, but please trust me! You don't belong here! When you walked through that Ground Bridge, you left more than your memories behind. You left your family and-"_ Panic filled the scout's processor. Looking down, he saw the large, claw-like servo of the Decepticon leader around his neck, right over his ruined voice modulator.

"I've done it once, scout. I have no qualms of repeating the past." It was no more than a whisper, but Bumblebee nodded out of fright and trauma.

Orion Pax noticed the fear the scout displayed, questioning Megatronus' connection with him. The mech was still a youngling, what affiliation could he have? Orion sighed. The scout was probably corrupted as a sparkling, now dragged into a war that should never have been his conflict to resolve. He pitied the youngling.

"Take him to the holding cells." Megatron ordered. With a slight nod, the Vehicons led Bumblebee away from the bridge. The scout could feel his spark call out to his leader, encouraging him to remember. But he knew it was futile. They didn't share any sort of spark-bond. They weren't brothers, they weren't spark-mates and Optimus wasn't his Creator. He may as well have been though, with their history.

Bumblebee's musings stopped as he was led to two electric cuffs. The receivers were bolted to the wall, low enough for Bumblebee to kneel, yet far enough away from each other to strain his shoulder joints. He resumed his earlier struggles as stasis cuffs were swapped for the prison. The bindings crackled to life, electricity coursing through the two ends, creating a near-unbreakable bond. Despite this fact Bumblebee continued to thrash and tug at the bonds. The pain came so quickly, he had no clue how to react. Electricity surged through his circuitry, reinforcing the pain already brought about from the Dark Energon.

It stopped as quickly as it came, leaving Bumblebee limp while he slowly cycled his vents. He barely registered the slamming of the door or the sound of the keypad accepting the lock code.

So here he was, hanging at the mercy of the Decepticons, still clinging onto hope, not of restoring Prime's memory, but of bringing him home. And if he, Bumblebee, had to off-line in order to do so, then so be it. He would make any sacrifice necessary for Optimus Prime and the Autobots.

For when there was no sacrifice, there was no victory.

* * *

><p>In another part of the state, night fell as tension rose. The Autobot base was in a frenzy, humans and Cybertronians alike confused, hurt and bewildered. Ratchet appeared to be mumbling to himself, the phrases "Vector Sigma" and "Circuit Key" constantly being repeated. Arcee had taken charge of the team, being Second In Command, and did her best to keep everyone together. Bulkhead wouldn't stop pacing or arguing that they needed to get Optimus back now.<p>

Agent Fowler actually seemed to understand the depth of the situation and tried to talk to Arcee about possible strategies and solutions. June Darby was trying her best to help as well, providing comfort to those who appeared to need it. She wanted to help the Autobots in any way she could, she just didn't know how.

Jack sat in one of the chairs, studying the Key to Vector Sigma. He had no clue how important the artifact was, but, according to Ratchet's reaction, he decided that it was important enough to keep safe. That meant no more idly tapping the thing against the railing. As he studied the complex, soft glow of blue circuitry, Jack couldn't help but wonder what it did and why there was a slight pull to it. It reminded him of a compass needle, always magnetized to point north. Perhaps...the key knew where something was or was specifically designed to find it. He let out a sigh. There was no way in hell that the little thing could help them right now. But then again, why would Optimus Prime trust him with it if it wasn't valuable? Why would he leave it in the hands of a human? Sometimes, Cybertronian logic thoroughly confused Jack. So, he continued to twirl the key in his hands, questioning its purpose and what role he had to play.

Miko was surprisingly quiet, attempting to distract herself by drawing miscellaneous things in the base. She knew she was failing miserably, her mind wandering back to Bulkhead's explanation of the battle. At least this time she wasn't wracked with guilt for causing the whole thing. It was, however, ten times worse to feel as helpless and vulnerable as the others. Despite her slightly thick-headed appearance, she knew they all needed Optimus back or else they'd all fall apart. If that happened, nobody would come to pick up the pieces.

Raf worked furiously on his laptop, covering up conspiracy theories and researching for any clues about the Decepticons. Glancing around the base, he noticed an Autobot was missing, his guardian to be precise.

"Where's Bumblebee?" he asked. Arcee looked towards him and answered.

"He's on top of the base." Arcee explained, "When he's stressed or upset, he likes to go 'star gazing.' It calms him down."

"You think he's still up there?" Raf asked, "I haven't seen him since you guys got back."

"Come to think of it, he's been gone for longer than usual." Bulkhead commented.

"Normally, he doesn't have to deal with something this traumatic." Arcee replied, "Optimus practically adopted him. He's probably hurting more than we could possibly imagine."

"Arcee," Ratchet started, trying to hide the worry in his voice, "His spark signature's not there. He blocked it from us as well as his comm.-link."

"What the frag is he thinking?" Arcee demanded, walking over to Ratchet's monitors. She knew Bumblebee could be extremely rash, but to this extent? Would he seriously put something like this into action? The thing was: Bumblebee would easily consider and hastily do it.

"He's thinking of rescuing Optimus." Ratchet stated, "And he definitely does not want us to find him now."

"Bee has a plan, doesn't he?" Bulkhead was regretting an answer to his question.

"Just like at Tyger Pax. He's pulled this before and now he's doing it again." Arcee said, glaring at the monitor. Suddenly, her servo flew to her helm, faceplates donning a bewildered expression. "No, he didn't..." she murmured.

"What is it?" Ratchet inquired.

"He sent me coordinates." Arcee's voice faltered, realizing why she got the text.

"He didn't..." Ratchet huffed.

"He did..." There was no masking her fear now. She didn't feel weak for showing it, especially when it came to Bumblebee.

"What did Bee do?" Raf asked, sensing the Autobots' fear.

"He deliberately got himself captured by 'Cons." Arcee replied. "He found Optimus, but he has no way out."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Jack asked, also worrying for the scout. Ratchet sighed before replying.

"No, at the moment, we can't do anything. Bumblebee is on his own."


	2. Chapter 2

After hanging for a few mega cycles in a Decepticon cell, Bumblebee was bored. He was lucky, and thankful, that he was still alive, but that didn't prevent him from being bored out of his processor. It was surprising how nobody actually came by to interrogate him about information yet. By the way, "interrogating" to a Decepticon was the equivalent of "ruthless torture" to an Autobot and any other sentient being with a sense of morality. His injury at Tyger Pax was enough proof of how brutal Megatron could be. Well, maybe he should have eased up on the snarky comebacks, but after a major victory, they were called for.

Bumblebee shifted slightly, the tingle of electricity beginning to bother him, but going back to the positives: at least it wasn't any worse. But everything felt off. Decepticons, especially Vehicons, would pounce on the opportunity to torture an Autobot. It was a bit disconcerting that no one was there to beat the slag out of him. Within a second, Bumblebee wanted to bash his helm against the metal wall for being so stupid.

Megatron probably ordered 'Cons to steer clear of the cell because Prime was on board. If Optimus saw anyone, let alone a youngling, being mercilessly tortured, he'd snap into "Overprotective Prime Mode" in an instant. Not only that, but it could possibly trigger a memory from Cybertron: Tyger Pax. Optimus had been one of the first on-scene along with Ironhide. Both of them nearly blew a gasket discovering the energon coated voice modulator. Once again, Bumblebee wanted to smash his helm into the wall.

If he could provoke a 'Con (or better yet, Megatron) into torturing him, Optimus would definitely trust him or he'd turn against Megatron. The tyrant wouldn't have any excuses or lies up his servos to cover up something like that. If the 'Cons laid a servo on him, Prime would leave…or Megatron processor-washed Prime into following the Decepticon way of life. If that were the case, then Primus…just off-line him now.

_"No,"_ Bee whispered to himself_, "Optimus would never do that. He's probably not going to remember anything, but it'll give him a reason to try."_ If it did go according to plan, he'd probably give the other Autobots a chance...

Wait...why hadn't they comm.-linked him yet? Fearing communication blocks, Bumblebee quickly bounced a message to himself. His text did come back to him, albeit slowly. That meant the Nemesis itself was disrupting frequencies to avoid detection, but allowed one to transmit messages. That must be how the 'Cons comm. each other off-ship. The Autobot base had something like that too, but used less power hiding spark signatures because of the natural mineral deposits within the rock walls.

_The others are probably worrying right now,_ Bee thought, _it's been about an hour since I sent Arcee my last coordinates._ So, he composed a message to the base. If he made it through this in one piece, he was going to be grounded for the rest of his lifestream. He winced, hoping Arcee wasn't turning the base upside-down.

Primus, he was so slagged.

* * *

><p>"I swear when I see him again, he's going to be scrap!" Arcee ranted. Jack sighed, concerned for his guardian's well-being as well as the two MIA Autobots. Arcee's coping mechanism tended to be anger, violence, and over protectiveness. While the latter was bearable and at times helpful, the two formers were scary to say the least. Jack pitied whatever 'Con, or unfortunate Autobot, decided to cross her path within the next twenty-four hours.<p>

"Arcee, try to relax," Ratchet demanded, "Pacing and cursing Bumblebee for all eternity will not help us in any way."

"I know," Arcee sighed, "I just wish Bee wasn't so fragging rash. He's inside enemy territory with no way out."

"We don't know that for sure," Bulkhead suggested, trying to remain optimistic. "I mean, who knows? Maybe he's got something up his servo."

"Bulkhead, he left base without anyone finding out, sent me his last coordinates and is now probably captured and aboard the Nemesis. He's not going anywhere any time soon." Arcee reasoned. Suddenly, the center monitor lit up. The picture of Bee's faceplate popped up next to a stream of text.

_"I found Optimus,"_ it read_, "and I'm going to get him back. By the way, I'm fine...apart from some minor circuit damage. The 'Cons haven't come to 'interrogate' me; probably since Prime's here. I've got a plan and before you say anything to each other: yes Arcee, it is a very stupid plan that you won't like, but will get Optimus back on our side. Ratchet, you'll know what I'm thinking and you're not going to like it either._

_"I'm going to make him trust me. I've known him for my whole life-stream. Prime rescued me from the Youth Sectors when I was a few vorns old. He's the last Prime and I'm the last youngling. I'm not going to try. Trying allows room for failure. I'm going to get him back if it's the last thing I do. Primus, this sounds like a cheeky romance novel, but I love him. I'm not in love with him; I love him like I would my Creator, my family. I love him as I would the rest of you. He's always supported my decisions and has saved me countless times before. I owe him my life, so I'll restore his._

_"Back to my plan, it's simple: who could forget Tyger Pax?_

_"I'm sending you my current coordinates now. I want you to know that you're the best family I could have ever had. If our friends are reading this, tell them about the Battle of Tyger Pax. And Raf, I'm so sorry for leaving. If-no-When I get back, I'll take you racing for as long as you want._

"_-Bumblebee"_

All inhabitants of the base fell silent. June covered her mouth a couple times, running on an assumption of the "plan." Agent Fowler read on with a stoic expression, revealing his true military persona. Jack, Miko and Raf weren't entirely sure what to make of the message, confused about what Bee was referencing. Catching the faceplates of the other Autobots, they got an understanding that it wasn't good.

The loud clang of a servo hitting concrete echoed through the base, accompanied by Arcee's voice. "You're such a glitch-head!" she shouted at the screen, punching a nearby wall, "You could have waited, but you just had to play hero!"

"Arcee, calm down before I have to sedate you!" Ratchet huffed, turning back to the screen. He tried to send a message back, but the attempt was in vain. Bee could get information out, yet couldn't receive it. The medic cursed quietly before putting a servo on his chevron. "Primus, what now?" he whispered.

* * *

><p>Orion paced around his room on the Nemesis, reevaluating the events of the past few breems. First, an Autobot scout (apparently, one of his enemies) started a fight with some Vehicons and was captured. Next, said scout claimed to know him under a different designation. It didn't make much sense seeing as the only designation he ever had had been Orion Pax. Then, Megatronus, now Megatron, made the scout obey his orders and told him, Orion, that the scout was brainwashed by the Autobots into doing their dirty work. Apparently, the scout also doubled as an assassin and was planning on off-lining Megatron out of hatred and poor upbringing. Although he couldn't find any significant gaps in Megatron's story, something just seemed off.<p>

When the scout spoke, he seemed sincere and scared. The scout was a youngling, forced into something that he obviously wasn't mentally ready for. At least, he shouldn't be at that age...but his optics were so old. Old optics on a young frame was such a terrible thing to see, and the concept was so new to Orion. There was his first missing piece, now if he could just put the puzzle together.

Looking back on it, the scout hadn't actually spoken; he used a Cybertronian code, to put it simply: speaking in binary. Well not exactly binary, but it was close enough and easily understandable. Megatron mentioned in passing that the Autobots removed his voice modulator to prevent him from having the ability to give a testimony against them. Using code meant whatever the scout said would be invalid in a court, seeing as anyone could use code to communicate and therefore would not allow him to gain political support or intervention. He could be classified as a non-sentient drone and decommissioned as such. However, Orion noticed the youngling's fear when Megatron wrapped his servo around the already mutilated neck joint. But the fear wasn't directed inwardly, the scout was frightened for someone else. But who was he afraid for? If the Autobots really were the enemies, why would their trauma-ridden scout feel anything for them? Even if he was brainwashed, the psychological processes of the main processor and logic circuits would rule out in the end. That scout should have been asking for protection from Megatron, wanting to join the Decepticons. So why didn't that happen?

Nothing was making sense. Nothing was adding up. Orion Pax sighed and held his helm in his servos. What was really going on here?

* * *

><p>The loud screech of the door brought Bumblebee back to reality. His helm shot up, wondering and dreading what was about to come next. A large silhouette stood in the doorway, blocking out what little light the corridors gave off. A small flutter of hope welled up in Bee's spark.<p>

"_Optimus?"_ he beeped, recalibrating his optics for the light shift. A sinister chuckle filled the air. He was dead wrong.

"Not quite, scout," Megatron replied while stepping into the shadows, "but close." As if on cue, Bumblebee thrashed against his restraints, optics narrowing in anger.

"_Why are you here?"_ he hissed. On the outside, he was furious. On the inside, his spark was beating with fear. This visit was not going to end well.

"Am I not allowed to check on my prisoners?" Megatron asked nonchalantly. He strode over to the youngling, inspecting his position. "Hmm…you appear far too comfortable. Don't worry, I can fix that." A high frequency beep escaped from Bumblebee. Megatron had unsheathed his sword and pushed it into his right shoulder joint. Bee gave him an indifferent glance, prompting the Decepticon to apply more pressure.

If there were any humans in the room, all they would hear the sound of metal cutting into metal. However, Cybertronians could make out the high-pitched squeal of a youngling in pain. Bumblebee didn't care if he was satisfying Megatron's sadistic glee; he was going to scream as loud as possible. It was all for a reason.

Somewhere in the back of his processor, he hoped Optimus could hear him.

Suddenly, Megatron withdrew the blade from his armor, making sure to cut in deeper than necessary. He heard the youngling gasp as he watched the energon fall from his sword. Bee's gaze was downcast, refusing to meet the optics of his captor.

"_Where…is…Optimus?" _he asked slowly. His servo sent waves of agony through his body, the tension of his bonds making the pain even worse. It felt as though his servo was being slowly ripped away from his frame. That was probably what Megatron wanted.

"Optimus Prime isn't here." Megatron replied with a smirk. "In fact, I don't know where my rival is."

"_Where is Orion?"_ Bumblebee was shaking with fury, officially fragged off. He glared into those cold red optics for all he was worth.

"In his quarters," was the flippant response, "But that's not important right now. There are other matters I wanted to discuss with you."

"_And what would those be?"_ Both mechs locked optics, neither one wanting to break contact. After a few seconds of tense silence, Megatron began to grin. Bumblebee shrunk back slightly, disconcerted with his opponent's expression.

"You do want to keep your team safe, correct?"

"_Yes." _He was hesitant, untrusting, and so very suspicious.

"And you will do whatever it takes to keep them safe from me?"

"_What exactly are you getting at?"_

"You're right. I'm growing tired of this little game." Pain flared up in Bumblebee's servo as Megatron casually leaned on the damaged joint.

"_You…didn't answer…my question…"_ The beeps were far and in between. But nothing could compare to the fear in Bee's spark as Megatron asked his next question.

"Tell me scout, do you remember the Cortical Psychic Patch?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry I haven't updated anything in a while! Yes, I am working on Egress if you're waiting for that to update. Also, I'm going to speed write my way through this story! Season 2 of Transformers Prime begins February 18__th__ and I want this to be done and over with by the time the premier starts. I know the ending and I know most of the middle, now it's time to sit down and get it done._


	3. Chapter 3

Bumblebee couldn't even stop his optics from widening. Memories flashed through his mind, remembering that his old mental prison was still there. While inside his processor, Megatron engineered a place of nightmares and shoved Bee's astral projection in there to rot. After the ordeal, he had no clue where the prison was held and didn't want to find out.

"Well, it's not all about my little excursion into your mind," Megatron continued, shaking Bee out of his thoughts. "It also involves the Dark Energon missile you were shot with. You remember, your little human pet was injured too."

_"He's not my pet! His name is Raf! and he's my best friend! He's so much more than just some pet and he's a greater being than you'll ever be!" _Bumblebee exclaimed.

"How sweet," the Decepticon's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "But we're getting off topic." One claw found its way through the yellow chassis armor near the black neck cables. "I discovered a few weeks after our little...adventure," Another claw dug deeper into the sword wound. "That our minds are connected. The connection was weak, barely noticeable to me and completely overlooked by you." A screech filled the air alongside the hiss of a popped tire. "There was a reason I shot you with Dark Energon." Shattered glass from a headlight fell to the floor.

"You see scout, I have the ability to control Dark Energon in a Cybertronian, dead or alive. It flows through me and I relish its power." There was a loud crack accompanied by another screech. Megatron casually threw the tip of yellow painted armor to the ground. "So imagine my delight when I thought to combine my mental presence with my control over Dark Energon. Do you know what the product is?" A claw traced under the battle mask. It latched onto the very slight gap between the faceplate and the mask. Megatron pulled at the mask, hearing it creek under the strain. Bumblebee omitted several short bursts of static, unable to properly communicate his pain through beeping. Finally Megatron stopped, only to swipe his claws across the scout's faceplate. Four large gashes ran across the yellow helm and the left optic was off-line with a huge crack through it.

"You still haven't answered me scout." Megatron commented, flicking energon off of his servo.

_"I...do-don't...know-ow..."_ Bumblebee stammered. Energon flowed freely from the gashes, pulsing painfully as each rivulet ran down his frame.

"It means I can control you. I can make you kill your friends one by one. I can make you kill Optimus. I can make you do whatever I like. You are completely at my mercy, a mere puppet."

_"You-you're lying! Th-this has to...be a-trick_!" He was having so much trouble communicating through the agony. _"What-what happens when Optimus comes...and sees me lying he-here...tortured!"_

"That's just it, he won't. I've forbade him from even walking by this very door. I'm sure he'll disobey my orders at some point in time; curiosity always gets the better of him. But by then, you'll have made your choice and it will be too late."

_"..."_ Bee settled for glaring at the Decepticon, his limited verbal communication finally seizing up from the onslaught. However, his expression was clear.

"You're wondering what my plan is. I might as well start from when I discovered our connection. Try to understand, I was just as surprised as you are now to have stumbled upon the psychic link. It was an accident, shouldn't have ever been forged. Turns out I left a small part of myself inside of your head, allowing me access to some of your thoughts. From that I created a fairly complex plan that had a very low success rate. I needed to catch you off-guard and introduce Dark Energon into your systems. However, it couldn't be administered to your energon lines or that would completely compromise your precious mind. I would need that intact for later.

"When I found you driving alone, I was well-prepared for such an encounter. The missile I shot you with was specifically engineered to overload your circuitry with Dark Energon while keeping your energon lines clear. I wasn't counting on harming the human, but it was an...added bonus.

"As a result, the Dark Energon lays dormant within you and strengthens my power over the psychic link. All I needed was to capture you. I never expected it to go this well: you, walking right into my servos and Prime losing his memory." Megatron gave a cold laugh, optics glowing purple briefly.

_"S-what...do w-with-m...e?"_

"I'm giving you a choice scout: return to the Autobots now without Prime or return with Prime and kill the Autobots and your allies."

_"W-would...n-ever-"_

"You wouldn't," Megatron smirked. "But I would. And just to prove that this isn't a bluff..." Before Bumblebee could even comprehend what was going on, he felt his injured servo start pulling at full-force against his bonds. He squealed again in pain, energon leaking more rapidly from the growing wound. It felt like his servo was being ripped off. Actually, it kind of was...

The agony was so intense and Bee figured he should have blacked out by then. He tried fighting against the force making his body do this, but no luck. Megatron was actually controlling him like a puppet and, unlike last time, he was aware for every waking minute of it.

_"STOP! PLEASE!"_ he managed to scream through the pain. He didn't care that he was begging, he just wanted it to end. His captor was apparently pleased, smirking although the scout couldn't see it. Bee's frame slumped as the pain abruptly stopped, vents cycling frantically.

"Let that be a warning scout," Megatron threatened. "If Optimus does manage to wander in here, you lie about this conversation. If you tell him the truth, your leader's spark will be extinguished by your servo. Understand?" Bumblebee weakly nodded, gazing at the energon puddles littering the floor. He didn't even watch the Decepticon exit, leaving him to his thoughts. Primus, what now?

The choices Megatron gave him were terrible and all the other available options were either out of the question or contained his death. He could stay as a prisoner to the Decepticons. It would save his friends…until they came to rescue him. Then everything would go downhill, as Megatron would probably interfere with their escape by controlling his body. He could off-line himself, but what good would that do? When (not if) Optimus came to remember everything, he'd be crushed to know that his scout, his youngling, had forced himself to off-line in such a way. It was a decision he couldn't quite make yet. Times like these were when he wished he could strategize as effectively as Prime or think well under stress like Arcee. What could he possibly do to prevent such an occurrence? There had to be an answer somewhere. Something had had to have caused the initial "grip" to take place, but what? What component was he missing?

The last thing Bumblebee expected was the door to open fully, casting quite a bit of light into his optics. He had been alone for a little over an hour now. Adjusting them, he saw the large and slightly imposing silhouette of a mech. The harsh illumination made it hard to determine who the figure was.

_"If you're not Optimus…Orion Pax, whatever, please...just leave."_ He could beep again, but it was hard, much harder than when he first started using the sound bytes. The noise didn't really come from his vocal processor, but from a separate speaker. Even Bee wasn't entirely sure how it worked, though Ratchet had tried to explain it numerous times. Personally, he liked Jazz's description: think of Cybertronian code and think of Sunstreaker or Ratchet when he was too angry to curse properly. That pretty much described the process.

His musings stopped when he heard the slight shift of metal. The figure was still in the doorway, but soon began walking towards him. The door remained open and Bee's optics craved the light source.

"What happened?" The voice was deep, caring. The youngling recognized it an instant, frame perking up slightly. But then he remembered Megatron and the warning…and he couldn't possibly go through with the initial plan. And then he mentally slapped himself. Decepticons hardly ever kept their word. Knowing Megatron, he'd take over his body in an instant. Bumblebee flinched, various scenarios running through his processor. Killing Bulkhead, killing Ratchet, killing Arcee, killing Jack, killing Miko, killing Raf…

"Can you hear me?" Bee came back to reality, seeing Optimus' faceplate a few feet away from his own. The Prime was kneeling, trying to see optic-to-optic. The yellow mech nodded slightly as an answer to the question.

"Who did this to you?" Optimus-no, Orion asked, clearly appalled at the scene. Heh, score one to the Autobots.

"_M-mmm, one of the Decepticons,"_ Bee replied much slower than normal.

"Can you tell me who specifically?" Oh, how he missed the concern, the gentle rumble of his leader's voice. However, he had to take a minute to think of a proper response. Who would be the most likely to do this? Well, Starscream wasn't here and he didn't know any of the Vehicons' names (as Orion might), so that left only one…

"_Airachnid…"_ he answered softly. Orion simply nodded, but it gave away so much of his thoughts. _"Ok, what else is on your mind?"_

"If you don't mind me asking," the mech said hesitantly, not wanting to insult the youngling, "Why don't you speak like the rest of us? Even Soundwave, as silent as he is, has a voice." Scrap, did he really have to lie? If he told Orion the truth, there was a huge chance that it would trigger something. If he lied, he'd never forgive himself. This could be his one chance to talk to Prime, the one chance he got to break out of the warship with his amnesiac leader. But at what cost? Could he really risk the lives of his friends, his family? Could he do that?

"_I…um…it was…stolen from me,"_ It was the truth, but not all of it. He could almost feel Orion staring at him, waiting for more of an explanation. _"It's kind of…hard to explain, emotionally and physically."_

"I understand," was the reply. Bee sighed in relief, hoping Megatron wouldn't find out about this encounter. And if he did, Bee kept up his end of the "bargain." There was nothing to be penalized for. "But torturing a youngling is wrong. I do not uphold your principles, but I pity your situation and I want to help you in any way possible. I will talk to Megatron again. Do not worry youngling, I will save you." Then just like that, he left. Slag it all. His processor was screaming to just tell Orion Pax everything! Scrap all the consequences! There was always a way out for the ones who just slagging looked! He was torn: tell and become a killer or remain silent and die. But maybe…wait…he still had a comm.-link to base…maybe, just maybe he could pull it off.

This would take a lot of planning, good timing, and sheer dumb luck. Usually, the latter was on his side…usually. And so, Bumblebee began making plans again and composing his story. He turned off his comm.-link to avoid its detection. Megatron had overlooked the possibility of it still functioning. Granted, it was damaged from the swiped to the helm, but not completely useless. If he diverted all self-repairs towards the area, he'd be able to send one more message to base before it gave out on him. That wasn't the hard part.

Bumblebee shuddered as he realized he'd have to accept his past demon. It was the memory that haunted him to the spark, something that used to send him into the worst memory purges. It was his prison, the bane of his existence.

In less than a day, he would actually have to come to terms with Tyger Pax. He would have to accept that even in the best circumstances; his voice was most likely slagged for life.

* * *

><p>"Megatron, are you informed of the youngling's condition?" Orion Pax asked his friend. Megatron turned to face him, a scowl on his faceplate.<p>

"Yes, I am. I was informed not long ago by Soundwave. Apparently, a few of the Vehicons grew impatient with the scout. I regret that I couldn't do a thing about it. They will be punished. Now, I must discuss a certain issue with Knockout." As the large grey mech left, Orion grew uneasy in his presence. While it was possible for the scout to lie, what motive would he have? None…and it meant that Megatron, his old friend, could be lying to him. But why would Megatron lie to him about the torturer? Was he trying to justify the actions of his crew. No, he couldn't be...but...it just didn't add up. None of it did. Not the scout, not Megatron, not the torture, not the glances being given to him as he walked through the warship, not the conflict that started the war, not the humans, not the Autobots, not the Decepticons...

Orion sighed, shaking his helm and trying to sort out his conflicting thoughts. There was something about the youngling that felt sincere, that child-like hope shown in his optics. That settled it.

He was going to speak with that scout again.

* * *

><p>"<em>Back so soon?"<em> Bee laughed slightly, overjoyed to see his leader again. It was much, much earlier than expected, but maybe he got a lucky break (slag yeah!) and something happened that changed Orion's mind. Whatever could have happened, he was extremely grateful.

"I…don't completely understand what is happening here," Orion admitted, sitting down across from the youngling, "All I know is that someone is lying to me and someone is telling the truth."

"_I can assure you that Megatron is the liar,"_ Bumblebee stated, staring into the other's intense blue optics. _"I should have told you when you asked me, but…there was a bit of a conflict."_

"Care to enlighten me?"

"_No, it's really for me to work out. Don't worry yourself over it. Now, you asked why I couldn't speak like you. Well, it's a long story and a painful one for me to tell. I haven't really…grown past it at all. It's such a part of me and I try to forget. So…you're going to be the first bot to ever hear it. But first, I have a question for you."_

"I'm listening."

"_Does Tyger Pax mean anything to you?"_

* * *

><p><em>AN: Yeah, got this up! I'm sorry for lack of updates and I'm working on Egress, I really am! Shameless plug: there's a poll on my profile about my Bee stories. Please check it out so I can figure out the endings to certain stories. Yes! Two weeks to go everyone until Orion Pax Part 1!_


	4. Chapter 4

Knock Out was a little more than surprised when he overheard Airachnid talking about the new Autobot prisoner. At first, he thought she was referring to Orion Pax, previously Optimus Prime (or was it the other way around?). Regardless, he was caught off-guard when the prisoner's designation was Bumblebee. That youngling was a scout for Primus' sake! You'd think he'd have mastered the art of being discreet. Apparently, he just started shooting randomly at their battleship and was taken down by some of the Vehicons.

The scientist smirked, served the annoying glitch right. Anyways, it was pretty interesting from a psychological standpoint. Every battle that Bumblebee and Optimus were together, you could easily make the connection. They had a familial bond, despite not being spark-related. Megatron had mentioned in passing things about his brother and a sparkling. Bumblebee was probably that sparkling, which meant that when Optimus forgot him, he went through severe trauma. Actually, he was still going through severe trauma.

Despite what some may think, Knock Out had the whole thing figured out. Others always thought he was too narcissistic, too vain to notice anything going on around him. Primus, were they wrong. Bumblebee wanted Optimus back, not wanting to deal with the mental stress or facing the truth. He was running from his problems. Then again, perhaps that was the only way he could remain sane. The youngling was tortured at one point in time back on Cybertron. He didn't have a voice. He was missing a large part of what defined him. It almost made Knock Out pity the kid.

Almost.

The second surprise of the day came when Megatron burst through his doors. The Decepticon leader had a triumphant smirk on his faceplates. "And to what do I owe this unexpected visit Lord Megatron?" Knock Out asked.

"The plan is working perfectly," Megatron replied. "I assume you have everything ready?"

"Of course," Knock Out answered, revealing two vials of glowing green liquid. "The synthetic energon is ready for the scout. When they go for the escape, I'll inject it into his systems and then you'll be free to control your puppet in any way you like. Although, I still have some unanswered questions about this procedure."

"Yes, I thought as much. Ask away."

"If I inject this into the scout," Knock Out lifted a vial, "it will allow his self-repair systems to work at optimum levels as well as his other systems and processor. He will be capable of discovering your, shall I say, "psychic stronghold" and he will terminate it. What do we gain from this?"

"If all goes according to plan, two mentally injured Autobots or a dead scout. There's no doubt in my mind that, despite my warning, the scout will reveal everything to Optimus. His loyalty to Prime is not to be underestimated; he will tell Prime everything. However, if I can control the scout in the Autobot base, I'll have the opportunity to possibly decommission them, set them back…destroy a human."

"Well played," Knock Out commended, "and the only way Bumblebee can break your control is if he off-lines or his processor is damaged."

"He'll find where my psyche resides in his mind, but severing it will resurface old demons."

"Tyger Pax?"

"Perhaps," Megatron paused before asking, "Do you know what happened to the scout's previous charge?" Knock Out raised an optic ridge in confusion, but waved off the question. Megatron probably wasn't going to tell him, so might as well prepare for Bumblebee's escape.

* * *

><p>Orion was caught completely off-guard by the youngling's question. He'd ventured to the city a few times, but found nothing amiss with it. From what he could remember, Tyger Pax was amazing.<p>

"I've visited the city," he replied slowly, trying to form the rest of his answer. "It was idyllic in every way. It was the ideal location to live in." Bumblebee gave him a look, something akin to joy, and nodded.

_"You used past tense,"_ Bee stated quickly. _"Do you know why?"_

"I-no, I don't," Orion found himself baffled by such a simple question. Why did he say that? Megatron told him that the last time they were together; they were fighting the oppression of the caste system. Next thing they knew, the war began and he was captured and brainwashed into fighting for the Autobots. Megatron expanded their battles to the stars in order to allow Neutrals, younglings and sparklings to continue living a life without war. But if he knew, or believed, that there were still others peacefully living on Cybertron, why did he speak in past tense?

_"How much did Megatron tell you?"_ The scout's question brought him back to reality.

"Megatron told me that the Autobots declared war against the Decepticons shortly after we rallied for the destruction of the caste system. Due to my speech to the Council, the Autobots brainwashed me into commanding their troops. The reason we are on this planet is to avoid endangering the lives of others." Orion replied. Now that he heard it outside of his processor, there were too many holes in the story. For starters, why couldn't he remember that Cybertron was fighting a war to begin with? Megatron claimed it was the result of being brainwashed, but now it seemed fictitious.

_"He lied to you,"_ Bumblebee stated with cold optics. _"He started the war because he believed violence would end the system. Megatron demanded to be given the title Prime, but that's when you stepped in. The Council was moved by your words and you later spoke the Primus' very spark after Megatron put his plan into action. Primus gave you the Matrix of Leadership and you became Optimus Prime."_

"I couldn't be a Prime," Orion quickly commented. To be honest, the scout's story seemed far more reasonable, but Megatron was his old friend...right? Shaking his helm, he asked, "But...what does this have to do with Tyger Pax or your voice modulator?"

_"I need you to think, and I mean really think. Come on, you've got to remember something!"_ Bumblebee pleaded. Orion was about to answer negatively, but he froze. He saw some...vision flash briefly across his processor. It was Tyger Pax, completely destroyed, littered with the bodies of off-lined mechs. An energon-covered servo lay on the ground next to a familiar frame. The image left as quickly as it had come, yet still managed to deeply disturb Orion.

"What-what happened?" he asked with horror. "I...saw bodies strewn across the city and..."

_"I'm sorry you had to remember that,"_ the youngling beeped, _"but...it ties into my story. I was sent by you to distract Megatron while Arcee launched the AllSpark into space. You see, Megatron wanted to use the AllSpark for notorious purposes and we had to stop him. Whoever had control of the cube had control of Cybertron. Our last option was losing it to the stars. I was stationed at Tyger Pax with a few others, ready to make a stand if Megatron came our way. Unfortunately, he did and he...he killed my comrades."_ Bumblebee paused for a second before continuing, _"He tortured me for information after a brief battle...ripped my servo off. But...he did something far worse. Megatron...he-he stole my voice. He's the reason I'm like this and I hate it, I hate it so much. I used to talk more than Blurr and Bluestreak...and he took it all away._

"_It went beyond being mute…he destroyed a part of me. Without a voice, who's willing to hear you out? Megatron made me watch my comrades, my family, off-line slowly and painfully. And he's done far worse."_ This was it; no turning back now. Bumblebee gazed into Orion Pax's optics, acknowledging the repulsion and denial within them.

"I-I…is it true? Do you swear by Primus, Cybertron, the AllSpark, Vector Sigma…is it true?" Orion asked.

"_I swear to everything and by my spark…I swear to you that it is true. The Autobots are not your enemies, we're your family. You were the first one I ever trusted after the destruction of the Youth Sectors. You, Ironhide, Ratchet, Jazz and so many others raised me, taught me the ways of an Autobot. After Tyger Pax, you were one of the first to find me. You were there when…"_ Bumblebee paused, unsure of whether or not to inform Optimus of his previous charge. He decided against it. _"Basically, you've been there for me since Vorn 1. I would never even dream of lying to you (_he was tempted to add _minus that one tiny illegal street race with Jack). I…I guess all I'm trying to say is…please come home."_

Orion was taken aback by the youngling's request. He was so sincere, so innocent, yet there was darkness within him, a darkness that could only be the result of war. This youngling before him had experienced death and destruction ever since he was sparked. But he carried on hoping, waiting for a better future even if he wasn't a part of it. He would lay down his life for a cause he believed so strongly in. He was willing to die if it meant saving those he loved.

He still believed that this "Optimus Prime" was there.

And that's when Orion realized his mistake.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, moving towards the youngling. "I-I've made a terrible decision. I trust you, Bumblebee." That name…it sounded so familiar yet so foreign.

"_You didn't do anything wrong Optimus,"_ Bumblebee was smiling. _"Megatron's just-" _Panic seized Bee's processor as he began coughing. Slag, he shouldn't have carried out a conversation for that long. He realized that he reverted to using his voice modulator to communicate. It was faster to transmit beeps through the modulator, but also did more damage. He could have sworn Ratchet dead-locked his modulator to prevent this type of thing from happening. In fact, the last time he used it to communicate with sound bytes was…was too painful to remember.

Startled by the sound, Orion quickly jerked away from Bumblebee. "Bumblebee, what's wrong?" he asked, that familiar-but-foreign feeling creeping over him again.

"_It's ok, I'm fine. I can't 'talk' for a long time. That was the longest conversation I've had in a while. Thanks."_ The former Prime noticed the slight pitch and volume change in the youngling's speech pattern. _"So…are we going to bust out of here?"_

"Yes," he answered without hesitation. "But…how? If we use Megatron's Ground Bridge, he could simply use the coordinates from the last launch and follow us."

"_Megatron's not as smart as he seems,"_ Bumblebee said with a slight chuckle. _"He never bothered to disable my comm.-link. How fast can you get me out of these?"_ He lifted his uninjured servo, jostling the shackle.

"I believe I know the deactivation code. I'll have you out soon." Orion replied as he walked over to the keypad.

"_Great, now it's time to give the team a surprise."_

* * *

><p>Ratchet was nearly at wits' end with everyone in the Autobot base. Arcee wouldn't stop asking questions (redundant questions at that!), Bulkhead wouldn't stop pacing and worrying, and the humans were just kind of…there. Come to think of it, they were being less of a hassle than Arcee and Bulkhead.<p>

Suddenly, one of the monitors began flashing and emitting that annoying alarm. Believing it to be Decepticon activity, he let out a groan. That groan quickly turned into silent shock. The message was short and simple, but after a few minutes it had Ratchet grinning triumphantly.

"He did it," the medic stated. Arcee turned towards him, beginning to question his sanity.

"What?" she asked, walking over to the screen. She too stopped in surprise, rereading the message over and over again. Suddenly, she yelled, "What are we waiting for? Get them out of there!" Bulkhead hurried over to the other bots, a big smile plastered on his faceplate.

"Way to go Bee!" he cheered, positioning himself in front of the Ground Bridge controls. "C'mon Ratchet, put the coordinates in!"

"Bumblebee said they were moving," Ratchet stated, "Raf, I need your help. We needed to Ground Bridge Bumblebee and Optimus back here from the _Nemesis_." Raf nodded, starting up his laptop immediately. All the excitement caught the attention of Agent Fowler, who read the message aloud to the other humans.

"'_I'm bringing Optimus back. The Nemesis is moving at'_ I have no clue what type of measurement that is," Fowler admitted before continuing, _"'Bridge us out in_' once again, I don't know what unit of time that is, _"and be prepared. Megatron can control my body. I'm working out a way to stop him.' _Wait, so we're letting him back in so he can turn on us?"

"Right now, our biggest obstacle is getting them out of Decepticon territory," Ratchet replied with an edge. "We'll worry about that last part later. Bulkhead, on my command: activate the Ground Bridge."

"I've got it Ratchet!" Raf shouted. The countdown began.

* * *

><p>"Are you alright?" Orion asked as Bumblebee shakily rose from his kneeling position. Using his left servo to balance himself against the wall, he slowly brought his right servo to his chassis. It would be best for him to cradle it rather than let it hang uselessly by his side. Despite the pain, he managed to bend his elbow joint and hold his servo in that position. Once he was ready, he pushed off the wall and stood.<p>

"_Yeah, I'm fine," _he replied, fighting off the dizziness in his processor. _"Anyone outside?"_

"No, the hallway's empty," Orion replied after peaking through the door.

"_Let's hope that Ground Bridge is close. I told them to deactivate it after two breems."_ Bumblebee walked towards the door, activating the dual blasters in his left servo. _"Can you promise me something?"_

"Of course, what is it?" They locked optics.

"_No matter what happens, run through that Ground Bridge. If I fall behind, just go through it. I'll be right behind you the whole way. I've got your back."_ Orion was about to protest, but Bumblebee was pleading through his optics. Bumblebee was willing to give up his freedom just to get him back to a place he couldn't remember. If he had any doubts about trusting the youngling, they dissipated in this moment. Without further hesitation, he nodded.

"I promise Bumblebee." With a quick nod, Bumblebee was completely focused on the task at hand. Gripping the door's handle, Orion transformed his right servo into his own blaster.

In two different locations, the countdown ended.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Ah, still not done with this. :P I'm just going to keep writing anyway since I know the ending and the final part of Orion Pax isn't until...March I think. *shrugs* In that case, I'll try to finish it before then. Yeah, I totally screwed up my planning for this story. By the way, this was written before I saw Orion Pax Part 1 and I'm not changing anything about this chapter. The ending…I'll have to adjust a line or two in that, but otherwise it'll be relatively untouched by canonical occurrences. And if you couldn't tell already, Movie-verse is going to be incorporated into this story because I like playing jump rope with the lines of the Aligned Continuity._


	5. Chapter 5

For a few seconds, Bumblebee was beginning to doubt if his message really got through to the base. Maybe his comm.-link was more damaged than he initially thought and now…now he and Optimus were sitting ducks. If the Decepticons saw him out of his cell, then he could kiss freedom goodbye. He heard Orion shift slightly beside him, apprehensive and slightly impatient. Anxiety filled the area, both mechs running statistic after statistic through their processors. Just as Bumblebee was about to call a quits, a green hue caught his working optic. He couldn't help but warble in happiness before giving Optimus a shove.

"_C'mon! We've got two breems!"_ Bee shouted as he ran out after Optimus. Rounding the corridor's corner, they caught sight of the swirling green portal at the end of the hallway. Without hesitation, they ran towards it. Halfway down the corridor, Bumblebee fell to the ground with a cry. Orion skidded to a stop, rushing back over to the youngling as he fired at the incoming Vehicons. Being a child of war, Bee quickly rolled onto his back-plates and rose to a sitting position. He quickly assisted his leader, soon standing back up on unsteady pedes.

Suddenly, Orion heard something behind him. He swiveled, now facing the Ground Bridge and coming faceplate-to-faceplate with a certain blue femme. She gave him a small smile before joining the fight. "I thought you two could use some help," she commented, taking a stance beside Bumblebee.

"_Nice of you to join us, but shouldn't we be leaving?"_ Bee buzzed back.

"That would be our primary goal," Orion said, dodging a stray Vehicon shot.

"_Then what are we waiting for? Optimus, you've got to go through now. We've got you covered." _As if sensing Orion's hesitance, Bumblebee added, _"We'll be fine. Remember what you promised me? Go!"_ With a nod, the former Prime finally ran through the Ground Bridge.

"Alright Bee, now you're getting out of here," Arcee commanded.

"_We're going together Arcee, no way around it."_

"Fine, we go on three?" Neither of them heard another engine approaching them.

"_One…"_ Knock Out transformed, shielded from view by the Vehicons.

"Two…" The two Autobots backed up until they were a few feet away from the Ground Bridge. Knock Out took aim at the scout.

"_Three!"_ Bumblebee and Arcee fired one shot each before retreating. As they were turning, Knock Out fired both vials of synthetic energon. He smirked as Bumblebee emitted a small beep of surprise. As the green light blinked out of existence, the scientist raised a servo to his comm.-link.

"They're ready when you are," was his simple message.

* * *

><p>Upon entering the base, Bumblebee was ready to collapse and take a month long recharge. The extent of his damage was beginning to catch up with him, fatigue spreading through his frame. But…there was also something else…and it didn't feel right…<p>

"Bumblebee!" Raf shouted, clambering over to the catwalk's rail. When Bumblebee looked at him, Raf couldn't help but gasp. "Are you ok?"

"…_Not sure…"_ he replied…and promptly fainted. Ratchet was by his side in an instant, giving the youngling's frame a once-over. Orion kneeled beside the medic, worried for the scout's well-being. He could feel something well up in his spark, threatening to overcome his better judgments. It was as though he wanted to go back and give Megatron a piece of his processor. He found himself cursing whoever shot Bumblebee between the door-wings when they were first making their escape. But overall, he felt an overwhelming need to protect Bumblebee from any more harm. Orion was willing to give his spark if it meant never seeing Bumblebee in pain ever again. In a few seconds, he realized that it was what any Creator would feel for their sparkling. He understood what it meant to be a father.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked Ratchet. The older bot shook his helm. He was about to reply, but his optics caught the glint of glass; actually, two glass cylinders…wedged into Bumblebee's back-plates…

"Fragging glitches!" Ratchet shouted, backing away from the prone youngling. He then rushed to his med-bay, desperately looking for a device that would help. "I'm not prepared for this!"

"What's wrong?" Bulkhead asked as he walked over to the others, optics scrunched in confusion. Arcee gasped before clenching her servos.

"I thought you destroyed it!" she shouted at the medic, glowering at the now empty vials Ratchet carefully removed.

"I thought I did too!" Ratchet yelled back, coming back empty handed. "There must have been a residual sample on the shattered glass, I don't know! Optimus, you need to back up. He's going to online in a few seconds and when he does, he's not going to be the same. They also overdosed him and I can't do anything to him in this condition." Heeding the warning, Orion reluctantly went to stand beside the monitors. The sound of Agent Fowler coughing caught his attention.

"Excuse my lack of knowledge on Cybertronian tech," he stated, "but what are you talking about?"

"Synthetic energon," Raf answered, adjusting his glasses. "A while ago, Bulkhead wrote down an incomplete equation and Ratchet was able to engineer a synthetic form of energon. Ratchet tested it out on himself and, while it did enhance battle abilities, it did more harm than good."

"So…it's like steroids for Autobots?" Miko asked with a smile.

"Um…I guess…"

"Don't get any ideas Miko!" June snapped, Miko's smile instantly vanishing.

"Any idea of what this will do to Bee?" Jack asked Ratchet, the gravity of the situation dawning on him.

"I haven't tested it enough to be certain, but it may allow Bumblebee's self-repair system to work at optimum levels. It would heal him faster…but why would Megatron do something as (dare I say) stupid as that?" Ratchet voiced, suspicions rising.

"Maybe the 'Cons needed a test subject," Arcee commented.

"Perhaps, but why use two vials on Bumblebee when you and Optimus were beside him?" As the base fell silent, the fallen scout stirred. With an electronic groan, Bumblebee on-lined his working optic and attempted to sit up.

"_Wh-What happened?"_ He hissed as he accidently moved his right servo. Focusing his efforts on standing up, he tried grasping onto his memories. There was something important he had to tell them…something big…

"Easy Bumblebee," Ratchet said, steadying the youngling. "You're damaged. The last thing I want you to do is stress your systems." The pain was starting to leave his frame.

"_You know, I'm starting to feel better."_ He pushed off of Ratchet, walking almost normally. _"Um…did you do anything to me?"_ He could remember Megatron driving the sword into his shoulder joint. _"And what am I doing here?"_ Megatron slashed his tires. _"Not that I'm complaining…"_ Megatron shattered the headlight. _"I'd rather be here than be tortured by Megatron."_ Megatron whispering into his audio receptor…

_"Tell me scout, do you remember the Cortical Psychic Patch?"_ How could he possibly forget?

_"You see scout, I have the ability to control Dark Energon in a Cybertronian, dead or alive."_ He knew that already.

_"It means I can control you. I can make you kill your friends one by one. I can make you kill Optimus. I can make you do whatever I like. You are completely at my mercy, a mere puppet."_ There it was! That was his warning! Wait…that was really, really bad!

"_Guys, get away from me!"_ Bumblebee shrieked, jumping backwards. His optics scanned the room nervously, finally registering that everyone _even Agent Fowler_ was in the rec. room. Not good, not good!

"Bee, it's ok. You're with us now," Arcee tried to comfort. She began walking towards the youngling, only to have him dash towards the base's exit.

"_No, I have to leave! Megatron's going to-"_ His servos flew up to his neck cables. It was too late. He could feel Megatron's psyche trying to push his back into the prison.

"What can Megatron do?" Ratchet asked impatiently. He soon grew concerned as Bumblebee staggered, both servos clinging to the base's rock wall. The scout emitted bursts of static, clawing and punching the wall, sinking to his knees. But that's when Ratchet remembered Bumblebee's warning.

"_Megatron can control my body."_

Suddenly, everything just stopped. Bumblebee's helm faced the ground, servos relaxing and falling to his side. Just as quickly, the yellow helm snapped up and the one green dilated optic glowered at each Autobot and human. Ratchet barely had time to yell out a warning as Bumblebee's right servo transformed into a long forgotten weapon.

"Humans, you've got to get out of here!" Ratchet shouted, "Autobots, we have to protect them and get Bumblebee under control."

"Got it, I'll cover them," Bulkhead answered. "C'mon you guys, I guess you can stay in my room…" The large bot transformed and allowed the humans to climb in. Raf was the last one in. He hesitated, giving Bee the opportunity to shoot. The blast from the plasma gun missed by inches and before he had a chance to fire again, Bulkhead was speeding down the hallway.

"There appears to be something wrong with your scout," Arcee grimaced once she heard Megatron's voice come from their youngling. "Care to enlighten me?"

"What have you done to Bumblebee?" she threatened, pointing her own blasters at Bumblebee.

"He's in here…somewhere," was the flippant reply. "However, I'll let him out. He'll love to watch." Before Arcee could ask another question, Bumblebee's optic returned to normal.

"_What just happened?"_ he panicked. _"Oh Primus, tell me I didn't hurt anyone. And why-no! I swore I'd never use this thing again!"_ Bee looked at his plasma cannon with a mix of disgust, depression, and longing. It was his choice weapon until…

His cannon fired.

Arcee dodged the shot, her optics meeting Bee's terrified green one. The scout's body swiveled to and fro, plasma scorching the base's walls and destroying some of Ratchet's equipment. Bumblebee heard a faint "We needed that!" from Ratchet, but he was a bit preoccupied to really give the remark too much criticism.

"_You have to leave or put me in stasis or something! I can't stop myself!"_ he beeped frantically. A shot connected with a monitor, shattered glass raining down on the shell-shocked Orion Pax. The former Prime looked desperately at Ratchet, pleading the medic for any solace.

"What are we supposed to do, let Megatron destroy the base?" Arcee snapped at the others, unveiling her blasters. If she had to, she'd shoot. Only if she had to; she couldn't fathom the thought of hurting Bumblebee in any way.

"_Arcee, you've got to stop me before I do something really, really bad!"_

"Can you try to break Megatron's control?" Ratchet asked, trying to find his EMP generator to knock Bumblebee into stasis. If he could, then they'd be able to find the cause of the problem. But the blasts made it hard to find, especially since they kept firing in the general direction of his medical equipment.

"_I'll try."_ Off-lining his optic, Bumblebee plunged into his processor. He consciously scanned over the beginning of his primary processor, but immediately felt pain overcome his frame. The high frequency scream had the other Cybertronians covering their audio receptors. They could only watch as Bumblebee writhed in pain, cannon still firing random shots.

"Bumblebee, you can do it! You're stronger than him! Fight it!" Raf's all too familiar voice echoed throughout the room. Bulkhead's footfalls followed.

"Sorry, he just bolted from my room," Bulkhead admitted. "I expected this kind of thing from Miko…"

"_Raf, get out of here! I don't want to hurt you!"_ The cannon pointed at his charge, his best friend. _"What? No, no, no! Primus, NO! You…no! Megatron, stop it now! You can't do this! Please, I-I can't do it! I won't!" _The cannon charged. _"Primus please…NO! Stop it! STOP IT!"_

He could hear Megatron laughing at him, taunting and jeering. The tyrant's voice was all-encompassing, filling his processor with degradation. As much as he tried to block it all out, he couldn't. Subconsciously, his internal scanner started up. It swept thoroughly through his processor and quickly narrowed down the area of the "infection".

Through the destruction and overwhelming feeling of helplessness, Bumblebee found his mental prison. He scoffed sadly; it was so obvious Megatron would choose the place he tried to bury so deep within his memory to make his living hell. He hesitated before allowing the terrible memory to reveal itself once more.

There was Sam, lounging in the driver's seat and Carly in the passenger seat. All three were looking out at the hills and forests, watching the sun set. Bumblebee cranked up the radio, playing love songs that would embarrass Sam just because he could. He chuckled after Sam whacked his dashboard playfully. He heard Sam tell him to "turn off that crap."

The scene changed. It was midnight and Bumblebee was fighting. Barricade's cruel laughter sent shivers through his frame. Sam and Carly had run away, trying desperately to get to safety. He remembered the pain of Barricade's cannon ripping through his chassis. He remembered Sam's anguished shouts as he watched his guardian, his brother, fall to the ground. There was pain, so much pain, as Barricade continued his attack. But the blows stopped and the Decepticon had other ideas.

"I want to see you traumatized scout," Barricade had whispered, smashing a servo into his already broken voice modulator. "I want to hear you scream."

And then he remembered the worst pain in the universe. He remembered Sam dying. He heard Barricade's heartless laugh echo throughout his processor. He listened to Carly cry as his world went black.

Bumblebee snapped back to the present, seeing the damage he had caused. Two of the base's monitors were slagged, Arcee was cradling her left servo, Bulkhead was standing over Raf, Ratchet was limping and Optimus…he looked terrified. And he, Bumblebee, realized that all of their pain was his fault…and he had to set it right. He knew what he had to do.

Before Megatron could make another move, Bumblebee shouted, _"I found it! I know where he is! And I know how to stop him!" _His servo faltered; Megatron was obviously surprised. Good.

But the cannon began charging once again, hissing with protest due to the threat of overheating. It was firing again, uncalculated and uncontrolled.

"NO!" Arcee cried, dodging the scout's shots. She knew what Bumblebee was planning. It was too risky. He wouldn't survive. "We'll find another way!"

"_There isn't one! If that prison is still there, Megatron can do this as many times as he pleases. I HAVE to do this!"_ Bumblebee shouted back. Whatever mental defenses he had, he summoned. For a split second, he heard Megatron cry out in frustration. It was the only chance he had.

Without hesitation, Bumblebee lifted his cannon and pointed it at his helm. _"We had a hell of a run." _With a sad smile, he directed his gaze at Raf. The boy watched his guardian with horror, continuously mouthing "No." over and over again.

_"I'm sorry."_

He fired.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I know, I'm evil. :) And yes, that was part of Megatron's plan. He (and Bee) knew that Bee wouldn't have the mental strength to regain control, so he knew Bee would take the self-sacrificing route. And yes, there was a TFA and a DOTM reference in there. Unless something else happens, I've only got a chapter left to go. Spoiler: things get even more screwed up._


	6. Chapter 6

Orion didn't know what overcame him as Bumblebee fell to the ground, but judging by the youngling in his servos and the energon running down his chassis, he could probably fill in the gaps. His optics widened as he carefully sat down, laying the yellow helm in his lap. Orion's large servo clamped down on the wound in a desperate attempt to staunch the energon flow. He could feel the scout's spark pulse beating erratically in its chamber…or perhaps it was his own?

"Optimus, let me see him," Ratchet commanded. "Lift your servo." Orion obeyed and let the medic study the wound. Arcee and Bulkhead stayed back, knowing that they shouldn't get in the way and fearing for their youngling.

"Bumblebee's lucky he's a good shot…" Ratchet muttered. "Come with me, I need to start working on him now." As the two mechs passed her, Arcee swore she heard Ratchet whisper "suicidal maniac."

They disappeared into the med-bay and everything fell silent. Raf shivered as he eyed the energon trail on the floor.

It didn't help knowing where that energon came from.

* * *

><p>Hours went by and Orion exited the med-bay alone. Awaiting eyes and optics pleaded to him for answers, but he couldn't supply any. He sighed, "Bumblebee is critical. Ratchet's doing his best."<p>

Silence again.

Orion soon found Arcee comforting him. Both weren't far from a breaking point.

It was a miracle they hadn't reached it yet.

* * *

><p>The humans had fallen asleep long ago. Bulkhead was the only one online, Orion and Arcee had fallen into recharge not too long ago. He heard the whoosh of the med-bay doors and saw Ratchet walk out. Energon stained his servos and fatigue was clear.<p>

By chance, they met optics.

"I'm still working on him," Ratchet said with a monotone. It was all he could do to keep from revealing too much, getting their hopes up. "He's stable…but that's all." And he disappeared again.

Bulkhead didn't find his words too soothing, but it was better than nothing at all.

* * *

><p>It was morning. Ratchet had just stopped his work. He was done, the repairs were complete. It was up to Bumblebee now.<p>

He prayed to Primus that Bumblebee's mind would remain intact. The overdose of synthetic energon definitely sped up repairs and made them easier, but at what cost? What did it do to Bumblebee?

If things went smoothly, nothing; Ratchet had been thorough when "cleaning" Bee's energon.

But things hadn't gone smoothly in a long time.

* * *

><p>"I can't help but feel responsible…"<p>

"Optimus…" a sigh, "Orion, you did everything you could."

"But it wasn't enough."

"Orion, Bumblebee is alive and that's all we wanted. Now, we're waiting. Bee's strong; he'll come back to us."

"I hope you're right."

"Me too."

Silence.

"Arcee?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>After the second day, Ratchet was beginning to have some doubts. Bumblebee was perfectly fine now, so why wasn't he awake? Of course, the medic knew this was a rhetorical question.<p>

"Ratchet, is Bee going to wake up soon?" Raf asked from the catwalk. The braces were off of his legs now. If only Bumblebee could see his charge now…

"Rafael, I will not keep the truth from you," Ratchet said simply. "Processor damage is much like brain damage to a human. The results are unpredictable. Bumblebee's body is fine…it's his mind that's weak. He needs time to recover…and if or when he does come back online, things may be different. He could be processor dead, not remember who we are, or recessed back into a sparkling's state of mind. The possibilities are endless. I highly doubt the latter will occur, but I want you to be prepared for anything. The Bumblebee that survives may not be the one you're familiar with."

"How did he survive?" The question had obviously been pondered time and time again.

"As I said before: Bumblebee's a good shot."

* * *

><p>"Bumblebee," Orion was already at a loss for words. "I…realize that you know more about me than I know of you, but that won't stop me. I'm sorry for the pain I've brought upon you. I can't imagine how hard this war is for you, a youngling. The fact that you have a reason to live everyday fills my spark with pride and happiness. You are our hope Bumblebee. We fight for you…we fight for your future. A future without war and hatred for the youngling sparked into a monstrosity across the cosmos.<p>

"You are a war youngling, yet you have found the light in our darkest hour. And that is no easy feat. You are stronger than most warriors, and kinder than the gentlest of mechs. I remember very little of this war now, but I know my role now.

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. I fight alongside my family, my comrades. I stand by you, Bumblebee, as you have stood by me.

"Please youngling, awaken soon. We need you to see the future of our race. We need you to lead when your turn comes.

"You must live to see the day when all are one."

* * *

><p>"Scrap!" Arcee yelled, punching the wall to vent her frustrations. Bulkhead came through the Ground Bridge behind her, equally upset. "They got away," she huffed. "They have a power source now."<p>

"Now the 'Cons can actually use their Space Bridge." Bulkhead added. "How's Bee?"

"The same," Ratchet replied. "The synthetic energon should have helped his systems. Yes, he's healed…but he should be online again…"

"Synthetic energon is still theoretical," Orion said. "Nobody could have predicted this."

"It doesn't help the facts."

"What aren't you telling us Ratchet?" Arcee snapped.

"If Bumblebee is not back online by tomorrow, he'll be too far gone."

"Ratchet!" Raf shouted, sprinting towards the Autobots. Between breaths, he stuttered, "Bee's…spark reading…fluctuated…"

As soon as Ratchet bolted to the med-bay, everyone else followed.

* * *

><p>Barely a minute had passed when the miracle and the nightmare began.<p>

Large blue optics snapped online as the yellow helm pivoted from side to side. The terrible noise of metal screeching against metal filled the base, giving way to static. Bumblebee panicked, desperate to find a means of communication. But his throat hurt like the Pit!

"Bumblebee, calm down!" Ratchet commanded. Bumblebee sat up to meet the medic's optics, but immediately regretted the action. His processor was overcome with dizziness as his vision swam. A large servo was placed on his back, steadying the youngling. Raf was becoming concerned; his guardian had yet to beep something to him or anyone else.

Bumblebee glanced around the room, optics finally settling on Optimus. _"Sir,"_ he comm.-linked, _"what happened?" _Orion searched for what to say.

"You were captured by Megatron while trying to find me," Orion began. "We escaped back to base, but at a devastating cost."

"Bumblebee, can you use your sound bytes to communicate with us?" Ratchet asked. The scout nodded, testing out his modulator with a quiet warble.

"_What are you talking about?"_ Raf noticed the change immediately. _"Is Sam alright?"_ Bulkhead punched the wall, cursing Megatron for all it was worth. Arcee knelt next to Bee's berth.

"Bee," she said softly, "what's the last thing you remember?"

"_Barricade ambushed us and I told Sam and Carly to run,"_ Bumblebee recalled. _"But Sam…he was injured badly. And…no, that...Arcee, is he alright? Please, tell me he's fine."_

"No," Ratchet whispered to himself. Jack looked at the medic for answers. "Bumblebee…appears to have lost some of his memories. Megatron's mental stronghold must have been stationed in one of Bumblebee's most traumatic experiences, one that he never moved past."

"What do you mean?" Miko asked. "Bee's the happiest Autobot here."

"Miko, Bee's coping mechanism isn't…healthy for him," Bulkhead explained. "He doesn't face his problems, he avoids them. After Tyger Pax, he was the first one to volunteer for the solo scouting mission. He was here for years."

"_Optimus, is Sam here?"_ Bumblebee asked again. His optics were filled with such dread and self-loathing that Orion had to avert his gaze.

"Frag it," Ratchet cursed quietly, out of Bee's range of hearing. "This was the worst time period of Bumblebee's life-stream…and he's forced to repeat his worst nightmare."

"Ratchet, what happened?" Raf asked. The medic was hesitant. "Ratchet, Bee's my guardian. Please, tell me." With a sigh, Ratchet began.

"It took me two Earth weeks to complete Bumblebee's repairs. In that time, Samuel's body was buried and his parents and girlfriend severed their relations with us. When Bumblebee came back online, Optimus and I…we had to tell him the truth. Bumblebee…he nearly turned the med-bay into a battlefield. He wouldn't stop blaming himself for what happened, kept berating himself of how inept he really was. It was hard to get through to him. We told him that nobody could have expected this to happen and nobody could have been prepared for the outcome. He ignored our attempts and considered himself a failure as a guardian. He even went to Optimus to request that should he ever want to take up the position of guardian again, Optimus dissuade and prevent him from doing so. Prime didn't agree.

"Weeks later, he fell into a routine. Bumblebee's coping mechanism is finding work, occupying his mind with other tasks in order to drown out his most troubling thoughts. He went on scouting missions and was nearly terminated a few times. It scared us all, especially when he found Carly again. One look at him and she was furious. I don't know what exactly happened during that encounter, but Bumblebee isolated himself until Prime found him energon depleted in his room. During that time period, Optimus was deciding how to divide our forces across the planet to monitor Decepticon activity. Without hesitation, he put Bumblebee on our team. Yes, his expertise as a scout qualified him for the position, but more than anything, Optimus wanted to keep an optic on him.

"Shortly after we arrived at this base, everything just stopped. I'm sure Arcee and Bulkhead talked to him more than once, but Bumblebee was healing. I don't know how or why, but Bumblebee seemed…happier. He started over again, even received a new alt.-mode. I don't blame him, being a Camaro would resurface old demons. After that, he was better, made an effort to socialize more. Maybe it was the new environment and my complaining that did it, but something pulled him out of that Pit. I'd be lying if I said he wasn't different. No, he's meeker now than before. Well, more reserved to say the least. But for a while, I had my doubts. I feared a relapse for both Samuel's passing and Tyger Pax. But…" Ratchet trailed off with a sigh.

"But what?" Raf inquired. "What happened?" Ratchet met his gaze.

"He met you," he said simply. "The day you two first met was the day his optics smiled for us again. And I mean a real smile. He wouldn't stop raving about the two humans he met and the one whose toy he broke." With a slight chuckle, Ratchet added, "He kept promising to buy another one to replace it." Becoming serious, he continued, "But Prime asked him to become a guardian, your guardian, and uphold those duties once more. Bumblebee protested, borderline insubordination, but Prime made the decision final. Bumblebee drove you back to base the next day and the rest…well, you know. If there's one thing this arrangement did, it revitalized Bumblebee. He needed this in more ways than one. Raf, he comes back from every mission for you. He fights for you. You are his reason for existence because he sees you, Rafael, as his brother. The same way he viewed Samuel James Witwicky all those years ago."

"_Optimus, sir…please, where is Sam?"_ Bumblebee's pleas broke the boy and the medic away from their private conversation. _"I…I need to find Sam. Arcee, Bulkhead…I need to see him. Where's Carly? Is she with him? Are…are they ok? Please, tell me they're fine!"_

"Bumblebee," Arcee sighed. This was going to be difficult, painful, and dreadful…but it had to be done. "Bee…you remember the fight with Barricade," it was a statement, not a question. "He…Bumblebee, Sam's gone." His expression remained neutral.

"_No…he can't…it's not possible. He got away from Barricade!"_ Bumblebee protested, clenching his helm with his servos and shaking it back and forth rapidly. Before he could think about getting off the berth, Arcee pinned him.

"Bumblebee, you have to listen to me. Sam is dead." Their optics locked and Arcee's spark broke as she saw acceptance fill those youthful optics. "I'm so sorry…" she whispered. With reluctance, she got off the berth and took a few steps back. Bumblebee didn't move.

"_How long has it been?"_ The question caught them all off-guard. When silence remained his answer, Bumblebee's optics scanned all of them with desperation. _"My chronometer must be malfunctioning. How long has it been?"_

"Years…" Bulkhead answered softly. Before Bumblebee could work himself into a frenzy, he felt Optimus' servo on his shoulder joint.

"Bumblebee, please rest," Orion said soothingly. He definitely knew this situation, but the answers wouldn't present themselves. But seeing Bumblebee so distressed gave him determination to try and ease the pain. He was going to trust his instincts. "It is a terrible time for all of us, but you couldn't have done anything. None of us could have. It is not your fault, you have done nothing wrong." The words came naturally and, for the time being, got through to the youngling. With a nod, Bumblebee decided to go back into recharge, if only to escape the universe's cruelty.

Before falling into unconsciousness, he asked Primus why.

* * *

><p>"We need Vector Sigma."<p>

Ratchet turned his attention to the amnesiac Prime and scoffed a bit. "Of course we do, but we don't have a means of getting to it."

"But I have the key," Jack added, taking the artifact out of his pocket. "I've been feeling it…pull for some reason. And it glows randomly, like when Bulkhead took us into his room. I was looking at it and it started to glow for a few seconds. Next thing we know, Bumblebee lost his memory."

"Yes, but this doesn't help us. Vector Sigma is still on Cybertron and we have no way of travelling into space to retrieve or even fathom using it." Ratchet stated with a huff. Primus could never make it easy for them, could He?

"If we require a Space Bridge, I believe I can help," Orion said with a smile. "Megatron mentioned it to Soundwave when I was aboard the Nemesis. I don't think he realized I overheard the coordinates."

"Did I just hear that we have a transport to Cybertron?" Arcee asked, smiling as well. Bulkhead walked over to the group.

"Optimus-um…Orion, I think I could hug you right now," he said.

"Please refrain from doing so Bulkhead, I don't feel like repairing another back strut." Ratchet ridiculed lightly.

"We can commandeer the Space Bridge and get to Cybertron," Jack said.

"You and Arcee will go to Cybertron for only you can access Vector Sigma at the moment. A Prime can as well, but Orion Pax isn't Optimus Prime." Ratchet informed the teen.

"Why do you get to have all the fun?" Miko whined, crossing her arms with a pout. Since when did the rest of the humans arrive?

"I can get you a space suit," Agent Fowler offered. "After all, I do work for the government."

"Jack, I can't let you go through with this…" June said, "I…"

"_Arcee is his guardian; your son has the best protection he can receive."_ All heads and helms turned towards the beeps, watching as Bumblebee staggered over to them.

"What do you think you're doing Bumblebee?" Ratchet shouted. "Get back to the med-bay!" To everyone's surprise, Bumblebee shook his helm and stayed put, despite the medic's wrath. June shot a questioning look at Raf, who quickly translated for his guardian.

"_I'm coming too. I want to help and, by Primus, I am going to help. I'm also curious as to why none of you mentioned that Optimus cannot remember his status as a Prime."_ Raf felt a bit unnerved at how _formal_ Bumblebee sounded. Ok, maybe not over-the-top formal, but still…

"We didn't want to overwhelm you," Arcee told him. "But believe me when I say that we were going to tell you."

"You're a scout; you were going to find out either way." Ratchet said. Although it didn't seem like a humorous jab, Bumblebee knew enough to take it as one.

"_I was serious about coming with you. I will come even if it is considered and recorded as insubordination."_ Ratchet knew better than to argue with the youngling now. Besides, when Bumblebee began coping, there was no stopping him. That was the only part he didn't mention to Rafael: everything Bumblebee did was for a reason. Right now, it was to escape this fresh wound by risking his life. Unfortunately, this is also when they needed him most.

Bumblebee looked at Orion for approval. A curt nod was his response.

Before they broke away, the two amnesiacs understood their situation. Bumblebee saw confusion, hope, fear, bravery, and acceptance. Orion saw pain, depression, denial, and longing. Their decisions were made.

When they returned their focus to the chaos and excitement within the Autobot base, they shared the same thought:

_No matter how painful it will be, I need to remember..._

"For them," Orion whispered, surveying the Autobots' enthusiasm and renewed hope.

"_For Sam."_ Bee whispered without hesitation. His spark felt broken, shattered beyond comprehension. He was convinced that he could never be a guardian, or a best friend, ever again. Looking at the small bespectacled boy by the monitor, Bumblebee felt himself smile. There was something special about the child…something that made him…happy. Even if he wasn't the child's guardian…

"_For Raf."_

…he would fight for him.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Yay, I'M FREE! :D I don't know how I feel about the ending, but it's done and I'm happy and nothing can ruin this moment for me! Just to clarify: Bee's still emotionally distressed, but he's trying to "cope."_

_Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and/or alerted! Now, I'm gonna sit tight and wait for Operation Bumblebee Parts I and II 'cause, let's face it: it's gonna be awesome. Just saw the promo and I fangirled for all 30 seconds of it. :D _

_Oh, does anyone know if the Nathan Fillion rumor was confirmed? I keep reading that he's going to guest star…and then he has a possibility of joining the cast…and then he's going to voice Bumblebee…and then my brain goes BOOM trying to sort it all out. :3 He's definitely going to be on TFP (I hope he has a hammer :D), but no clue who's voice he'll be providing._


End file.
